Rabble Starkey

"And there I was only thirteen years old, and Ginger Starkey, he had finished tenth grade and been out of school for three years -he was probably twenty, even-"

"And you'd never been with a guy who drove his own pickup before, and next thing you knew -"

She took the story back from me. "Next thing I knew. we was already in the next county and I made him stop so's I could send a postcard to my mother."

"And the postcard said-" That was Veronica asking. Veronica always liked what that postcard said.

Sweet-Ho laughed. " 'Dear Mama, I have gone off to get married and I forgot your molasses. By the time you get this my name will be Sweet Hosanna Starkey.' "

"She forgave you, though," I said with satisfaction.

"She forgave me because I came home with a ginger-haired baby," Sweet-Ho said, "and my mama, she was a pushover for babies of any kind and she'd never seen one with hair like that before." She reached over and ran her fingers down through my hair. "It's still just as pretty as your daddy's was, Rabble."

"This is one of Lowry's best, glowing with natural humor even while dealing with heavy problems." -- PUBISHERS WEEKLY